In what universe would these people think buying a home with no plumbing, electricity, or structural soundness would save them money? This feels like the NYT trolling everyone who suggests “moving somewhere cheaper.”

You can move to, like, Iowa City or Indianapolis and enjoy the lower cost of living without, you know, moving into a post-apocalyptic wasteland of a city. Or Buffalo, or literally any number of cities that aren’t New York, San Francisco, Chicago, LA, or Seattle.